


Where there's music, and there's laughter

by Resri



Series: Silver Linings [1]
Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - PI, Delilah is the chaos aunt, F/M, Gen, Kid Fic, M/M, Past Character Death, Past Corvo Attano/Jessamine Kaldwin, Single Parents, The Whalers are Daud's children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-19 10:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20655359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resri/pseuds/Resri
Summary: Stressed, broke, single father and widower Corvo Attano has just moved back to Dunwall, where life is expensive and jobs are rare. He needs money, he needs work, and above everything else, he needs a clean shirt. What he doesn't need is a short-tempered neighbor without a shred of sympathy. Or does he?





	Where there's music, and there's laughter

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by this post:  
https://neenaz.tumblr.com/post/187469613668/stuckyrecs-imagine-your-otp

One Friday morning in the month of High Cold, Corvo made a dick move. He _knew_ it had been a dick move. It had physically pained him to do it, because he knew he'd been about to ruin somebody's morning, and he always told Emily to be kind to people, and they had only moved in two weeks ago and he would already piss off at least one of his new neighbors. But. Yeah, well, he really really needed his good shirt clean. In a little more than two hours, he would have a job interview, and he _needed_ that job.  
He had been wincing through the entire process of turning off the communal washing machine mid cycle, taking somebody else's sopping wet clothes out, depositing them in a basket that had been left by their owner, putting his own clothes into the washer with detergent, and setting the quick cycle. All the while, he'd been determined to wait for his washing to finish, so if the owner of the clothes showed up, he could have explained his situation to keep the anger to a minimum. Then his phone had rung, announcing the babysitter's arrival. Right. Corvo had asked Callista to drop by twenty minutes earlier, but she had been late because of trouble with the subway. It was freezing cold outside, so he hadn't wanted to let her stand in front of the door any longer than she had to. After all, it would only take a few minutes to get Callista situated, Corvo had thought, while sprinting up the stairs from the washroom in the basement. Of course a few minutes had turned into forty minutes, because Emily had been sick all over the floor again, somehow completely missing the bucket. She had been so distraught about it, she had tried to clean it up despite the fever and Corvo's direct order to stay in bed. Corvo had cleaned up the mess, Callista had put Emily in the bath. Then, after comforting his still very upset little girl, giving Callista the rundown of the situation and handing over Emily's meds, Corvo had sprinted down to the basement to get his clothes. 

Only, they were gone. Along with his basket and the other person's basket full of sopping wet clothes. What was left in their stead was a note taped to the washing machine. The stark black letters had been angrily jabbed into the paper.

"To:  
The person who stopped the washer in the middle of my wash cycle and took my clothes out just to wash yours…

YEAH, YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE.

Unfortunately for you, so am I. You can find your wet clothes frozen outside in the snow. Any problems? Come see me in 301."

Corvo looked at it, stunned. Then he sprinted up the stairs, nearly skidding into a wall on his mad dash to the backdoor that led into the building's courtyard. When he burst out of the door, he came to a sudden stop.  
It looked like his basket had exploded. 301 had not simply dumped his clothes into the snow, but must have gone to great lengths to make sure all items lay at least five feet apart from each other. It was kind of impressive, in a petty way.  
Corvo bent down to pick up a pair of underpants, and all of his hopes that maybe, just maybe, his clothes weren't frozen solid already were quickly shattered. Just as his good shirt would be, should he decide to climb into the tree to fetch it. 301 must have been down in the basement only a few minutes after Corvo let Callista in, and the icy temperatures had done the rest. 

He had a job interview in one and a half hours, and no clean, suitable clothes to wear. 

Just as Corvo was contemplating if it was a reasonable reaction to sink to his knees in the snow and cry, somebody started howling with laughter. It was cut short by a window slamming shut, but Corvo had looked up fast enough to catch the movement at a window on the third floor. 301. _Fuck you._

Yes, Corvo had known it was a dick move to take somebody else’s clothes out of the washer mid cycle. He had known whoever they belonged to would be pissed. The problem was, though, that Corvo was fucking stressed. After the accident that killed Jess and injured Emily, there hadn’t been much time for anything except taking care of his girl. They had moved to Karnaca for a year, where Emily was getting the best possible treatment in Addermire Institute. The result, through doctor Hypatia’s excellent work, was a healthy eleven year old, and hospital bills that made Corvo’s throat close up when he thought about them. He had paid off a good part with Jess’ inheritance, but that meant he returned to Dunwall with empty pockets. (Hypatia was patient. All she wanted was to help people. The hospital’s administration wasn’t all that charitable, though. He bargained a good deal, in the end, seeing as Jess’ family had made generous donations in the past. That meant smaller rates without the added interest for Corvo.) If it wasn’t for his sister-in-law Delilah, who had offered him and Emily her spare two-room-apartment right next to her own, he wouldn’t have known where to go. It was also Delilah who had gotten him the job interview, since Dunwall’s economy was in dire straits with factories laying off hundreds of workers, and it was practically impossible to find employment without somebody sponsoring you. Corvo really really needed it, in order to feed his child. Who was, to make matters worse, sick with a stomach bug she caught in her stupid, expensive, posh, top notch private school that Delilah insisted on. (She paid half the tuition. Corvo had baulked at the idea, and had declined her offer at first. When he wouldn’t budge, she had sat him down and explained that she was Emily’s aunt, and in the absence of her mother, it was her privilege to take care of her niece. If Emily got a good education in a prestigious school, all doors in life stood open for her later. Corvo shouldn’t take that chance from her just because he was too proud to accept help. So Emily went, and Corvo cursed and thanked whatever god had given him a lawyer for a sister-in-law).  
All in all, Corvo thought he had good reasons to be stressed out, and if he didn’t get this job because he showed up late in a sweaty t-shirt and jeans, he was going to be really bad company. And he really didn’t need to be laughed at by some shit from the third floor. Consequently, Corvo decided to go up there and tell them.  
He stomped back into the hallway, up the flights of stairs. The building held two apartments on each floor, the 01’s being the nice apartments with four rooms and a big kitchen-living room, the 02’s having two rooms and a considerably smaller kitchen. Corvo ignored apartment 302 and went straight to 301, knocking against the door energetically. And then again, when nobody opened even though he could clearly hear talking from behind the door. Finally it cracked open, the door chain preventing more than a few centimeters. It was enough for a teenage girl to glare at him and ask, in the most annoyed voice he had the misfortune of hearing in a long time, “What?” All grievances of a long, hard life were encompassed in her tone, even though she couldn’t be older than sixteen. 

“Did you throw my clothes out?”

“No, that was Daud.”

“Well, can I speak to your dad, then?”

“Not dad, _Daud_. He’s not my father.” 

"He's our bother figure!" Someone, from the sounds of it a boy, behind the girl piped up, and then proceeded to laugh the same laugh Corvo had heard in the courtyard. The girl in the door rolled her eyes so hard, Corvo was worried they'd pop out. 

"Well, can I speak to Daud, then?" He was getting impatient. The girl just shrugged. "Sure, if you want to get your ass kicked," and closed the door. Then she yelled, loud enough so Corvo could hear it, " DAUD! THE GUY YOU HAD A MELTDOWN OVER IS AT THE DOOR!"

There was an unintelligible answer, to which the girl complained, “Maybe _you_ should be the only one here who isn't allowed to open the door, seeing as you’re the only one who gets death threats on a regular basis!” 

Corvo didn't know what to think of that. He didn't get any time to make up his mind, either, because there was a rattle, and then the door flew open.  
The man on the other side was nearly as tall as Corvo, but broader in the shoulders. He wore an expensive looking suit that strained to keep his bulging arms inside, though the dress shirt had some crinkles and looked to be a little damp still. The most impressive feature on the guy was undoubtedly the mother of all scowls adorning his face, accentuated by a deep scar on the right side. 

_Great,_ Corvo thought, _I pissed off a hitman_.

"Of course it'd be you," the man, Daud, said. He also had the voice of a hitman. 

"What?"

"Copperspoon's tenant. I should have known you'd be an asshole."

"Ex-fucking-cuse you!"

Behind Daud, the girl stood with crossed arms, and behind her, a boy and another girl, both looking a little older than Emily. 

"He said fuck," the boy stage whispered. The younger girl swatted his arm. 

Without breaking eye contact with Corvo, Daud barked, "Rinaldo, Galia, get your school bags. We're already late. And tell Thomas to put on extra warm clothes. I’m taking him with me."

"But-" 

"If I'm late for work and lose my job, you're all homeless." 

Are hitman freelancers or permanent employees, Corvo wondered. The two kids slumped off, clearly disappointed they wouldn’t get to witness how the angry cageboxer of a man would kill Corvo. The next words were addressed at him again. 

“Alright, asshole-” 

“Like tossing my clothes into the tree wasn’t a dick move! Look, dude,” and Daud’s face pulled into a sneer at being called dude of all things, “I have an interview in one and a half hours and no clean clothes to wear. I _need_ that job!” 

“Should have washed earlier, then,” Daud rebuffed him. 

“Yeah, well, I did. My kid is sick and puked on me. Who washes their dress shirts at 7 a.m. anyway?”

“My washer broke and I have to be in court in an hour. Not that it’s any of your business.”

And suddenly it dawned on Corvo. Daud was not a hitman. He was something far worse. He was a lawyer. The creeping horror must have shown on his face, because Daud raised an eyebrow (the one dissected by the scar) and asked, “What.”

It got worse still when several more pieces fell into place. All of Delilah’s cussing and cursing over the last few weeks that only got worse once Corvo had moved in next door and couldn’t just hang up on her angry ramblings anymore. The fact that Daud had known of Delilah's new tenant and had automatically assumed he was a dick. The court date in an hour.

“Oh no," Corvo said. "You're not just a lawyer, you’re _the_ lawyer. You’re Delilah’s frenemy. That Rudshore guy.”

“I resent being called Copperspoon’s anything, much less her _frenemy_.” Corvo watched in fascination as Daud did the air quotes. He hadn’t been aware people still did that. "But yes, I am that Rudshore guy."

“I can’t believe you two live in the same house.”

The teenager, still standing at Daud’s shoulder, glowering at Corvo the entire time, suddenly piped up with, “We were here first!” She delivered this line with so much venom that Corvo was taken aback for a moment. Even Daud turned around and blinked at her, stunned. 

“Billie,” he started, but was promptly interrupted by the two younger kids trampling back in, backpacks thrown over their shoulders. The boy, Rinaldo, carried a pink one, Galia’s was black. 

“Ready,” they announced cheerfully. Now, broken out of their petty argument, Corvo took a deep breath and composed himself. This was ridiculous. He had been in the wrong to begin with, and pushing the blame around didn’t get either of them to their respective responsibilities any faster. 

“Okay, look- I wanted to apologize,” Corvo started again, this time right. “I know what I did was shitty, and that I was in a terrible hurry is no excuse. I wanted to stay by the washer to wait for you and explain, but I needed to get back to my kid. It’s only the two of us, and we just moved in. The interview is very important, because if I don’t get a job yesterday, I won’t be able to pay rent and utilities, much less for my daughter’s ridiculously expensive school, and -”

"Oh god, spare me the sob story! You aren't the only single parent with a sick kid who has places to be and bills to pay!" Daud interrupted, and Corvo wanted to take the apology back and punch him. 

"Alright, ass hole, if I don’t get this job-"

"And if I lose mine-"

“Aren’t you the son of one of the partners?”

“Where the hell does Delilah get off telling some random guy shit like that.”

“Hey!” Corvo waved his finger in Daud’s face at that, and quickly retracted it when it looked like Daud might actually take a bite. 

“First of all, I’m not some random guy, I’m her brother in law. Secondly, don’t talk about Delilah like that! She’s a good person, she helps less fortunate people!”

“If I’m late for court, one of those less fortunate people is going to jail because the judge will be majorly pissed that the goddamned defense attorney can’t bother to be on time. Shut it!” he cut off Corvo’s reply, one hand raised between them as if to stop the words in their track. 

“Your stuff is frozen, no way around it. I don’t know what you want me to do about your other problems.”

Nothing. Corvo wasn’t entirely sure what he’d come up here to accomplish, but had the vague idea that it was probably to yell at someone. He sighed, rubbed at the bridge of his nose. He was aware that Daud moved away from the door.

“You’re right,” he conceded. “You’re right. I don't know why I came here-” 

The splat of cold, sopping wet cloth interrupted him rudely mid-apology. When he ripped it away from his face, he discovered that he held a drenched grey button down shirt. He looked up at Daud, who stood next to his clothes basket. The kids were giggling, even Billie had a smirk on her face. 

“Blow dry and iron it. It’s mostly clean.” 

“I- thanks.” 

“Now get out of my apartment.” 

Corvo made to leave, he really did, but this was just the moment _another_ child came wandering into the living room. It was a little boy, around Emily's age, and not just any little boy. He was in Emily's class. He'd waved goodbye to her when Corvo had come to pick her up on her first day, and Emily, open and exuberant as she was, had skipped over to squeeze the everloving breath out of the boy. Thomas was his name, Corvo had been informed afterwards. While Daud's other kids were of Serkonan heritage like him, if not his by blood, Thomas was very obviously hailing from Morley. He was also, very obviously, the sick kid Daud had spoken of. Tired and worn like no ten year old should be, and wrapped in a comfy sweater that was not his, as it must have been Billie's size.

"How are you feeling?" Daud asked, and his voice was suddenly so gentle that Corvo did a mental double take. 

"Queasy," Thomas answered, and went to Daud's side to hug his middle and bury his face in the fresh dress shirt. Without a second thought, Daud's settled a hand on the kid's head and petted his hair. It was a heartwarming scene.

“Thom should be in bed. I’ll just stay home from school today and take care of him,” Billie offered decisively, but Daud shook his head. 

“No you don’t, you have a test. I’m taking Thomas with me. The secretary loves kids and has a nice, comfy couch in her office. You come and get him after school.”

"That's stupid, he should be in bed," Billie said. 

"You try finding an acceptable babysitter on short notice in this city."

"I'm trying to offer you one, old man, you're just unreasonable!" 

"I have a babysitter," Corvo interrupted the argument between father and daughter (or bother and brat, if they preferred it). He very suddenly had five pairs of eyes trained at him. 

"Good for you," Daud all but hissed. 

"No, I mean, she's here _right now_. Babysitting my kid. I'm sure if we asked her nicely, she would look after yours, too."

“I’m not leaving my kid with the babysitter of some stranger I don’t know.”

“He’s not a stranger, that’s mister Attano. He’s the dad of the new girl in my class,” Thomas piped up, still half hidden in Daud’s side. "Is Emily queasy, too?"

"Yeah, she sure is. She has to stay at home for a few days."

"Me, too," Thomas solemnly confirmed. 

“If one has it, all are going to get it. Every damn year it's the same crap.” Daud looked at his apartment with a grimace, as if he already imagined how it would look covered in four children's puke. Then back at Thomas, and then at Corvo. 

"Fine, show me your babysitter," he said, as if it was him doing Corvo a favor instead of the other way around. Corvo wisely refrained from opening his mouth. Instead, he turned around and walked to the stairs, closely followed by not only Daud and Thomas, but by Billie as well. The other two would probably have come, too, but Billie threw the door closed in their faces. 

Callista, once she has laid eyes upon pale, sickly, sweet, little Thomas, is more than ready to look after him as well. He smiled at her shily, and her heart melted. Then Emily saw him and engulfed him in a bear hug, and started leading him to her room all while explaining about a book she had been reading recently that he just _had_ to look at. Daud still insisted on talking to Callista, of course, a glowering Billie at his shoulder. The meeting went like this:

“Do you have experience?”

“I’ve been babysitting since I was fourteen, sir, and I’m currently working on my degree in education.” 

"What are your rates?"

"Oh, I don't really do this as a job, I just help out some friends from time to time."

“You babysit for free?!” Daud looked utterly horrified at the revelation. 

“Uncle Corvo and Emily are practically part of the family. I've known Emily since she was born," Callista explained. She had a bleeding heart, and Corvo felt guilty for taking advantage of it, and had vowed to pay her back for all of it when he had the money to spare. Daud didn't plan on letting it go that far, apparently, because he pulled out his wallet and handed Callista a fifty coin bill. 

"That's all I have on me right now. You'll get the rest tonight if my kid is still alive and in one piece."

Before Callista could get over her surprise, Daud called into the other room, "Behave!" and Thomas answered, "Love you, dad! Have a nice day!" 

Daud froze, blinked, and called back, "Yeah, you too!" He was followed out by Billie and her loud, obnoxious cooing. Corvo got Daud's shirt mostly dry and partially wrinkle free (too broad at the shoulders, but easily hidden under the jacket), and was shooed out of the apartment with a whooping fifty-nine minutes left to go before the interview. Taking the railcar to the Tower Bridge, then another over the bridge, and then a third to the Hounds Pits Pub would take a good one hour and fifteen minutes, with all the overlay times counted in. Luckily, Corvo nearly got run over on his mad dash to the railcar station, by none other than Daud. He looked mad. Billie, on the shotgun seat, laughed. 

"Where to," Daud barked. 

"I-" 

"_Where!_"

"Tower Bridge station!"

"Get in the fucking car, Attano!"

Billie did, of course, not budge from her front seat, so Corvo squeezed in the back with Galia and Rinaldo. It was what optimistic people would call cozy. The Esmond Roseburrow Academy was thankfully on the way. The kids tumbled out of the barely stopped car just as the bell rang. Without giving Corvo the time to climb into the front seat, Daud floored the gas and sped off. His destination was the Tower, housing both the city hall and the court. They passed the Tower Bridge station on the way, and just as Corvo thought he might have to jump from the rolling car, Daud swerved into the taxi lane and barked, "Get out!"

"Good luck in court," Corvo called while slamming the door shut. Only as Daud sped into traffic again did he recall that his neighbor was Delilah's opponent today. Oh well. He'd need the luck in any case. Corvo reached the railcar just in time, and on the other side of the river the second one, too, which meant he stumbled into the Hounds Pits with a whole two minutes to spare. The woman behind the bar gave him and his slightly dishevelled appearance a puzzled look, but before he could say anything, she gestured to another door and said, "Sam is upstairs, straight down the hall. The corner office." 

"Thanks. Name's Corvo."

"Lydia."

He sprinted up the stairs, taking two steps at a time, rushed down the hallway and stopped in front of the office door that read "Beechworth PI", to straighten his clothes and take a deep breath. Then he knocked. The door swung open, and Corvo was greeted by a smiling man in his sixties. 

"Mr. Beechworth?"

"Please, call me Sam. You must be Corvo," the man replied, and shook Corvo's hand energetically. 

"Right on time! I hope you're wearing warm clothes, because we'll have to relocate your interview outside. We just received some urgent info, I hope you don't mind?" 

"I, uh, no. Sure. Let's go!" 

"Great. A contact of mine in the Abbey is concerned about the behavior of one of his brethren. We think he might be involved in some illegal dealings. He's going to leave Holger Square shortly, so we'll be doing some surveillance today." 

"We're following an Overseer?" Corvo was a little surprised, since the Abbey still enjoyed a rather empowered position in Dunwall. Sam grinned at him crookedly, and said, "They're not untouchable. Miss Copperspoon told me you used to be a cop, right? I know the Abbey doesn't like the police getting involved. They prefer taking care of their own business, but sometimes even they need some outside help. That's when we get involved." 

The two of them stepped out of the pub and into the freezing cold air. The wind whipped over the river a lot harder than deeper in the city. Unfortunately, the shore was where they were headed. Sam introduced Corvo to his lady, Amaranth. She was a stout little boat that Sam was very proud of. As they settled into the boat, Sam started the motor and steered them out onto the waters. 

"So, Corvo. Why don't you tell me a little about your experience?"

~

"How nice of you to join us, Mr. Rudshore. We were getting worried," the judge greeted Daud upon his arrival. He stopped himself from looking at his watch. Being on time was as bad as being late. Ignoring his client's stink eye and Delilah's superior smirk, they got to work.

During the proceedings, a new problem revealed itself. If you spent three nights sitting at a sick child's bedside, you were bound to contract whatever made said child puke on you. Daud managed to hold on to his breakfast until lunch. Then he rushed to the bathroom and threw up. After divesting himself of everything he ever ate, he stepped out of the stall to find out just how bad he looked. Delilah was leaning against the bathroom door, effectively keeping it shut. 

"Congratulations. Do you know who's the father?"

"It's yours, bitch. I expect some damned child support."

"You'll have to sue for it," Delilah laughed, and left him to his misery. Daud got himself as presentable as possible before returning to the courtroom. Thank gods it was friday.

~

"Why not become a cop again?" Sam asked as they wrapped up their stake out. It had been a long day of sitting in the cold, taking pictures of their mark, and one rather exciting chase. When their mark had disappeared into a heavily guarded harbor building, Corvo had jumped onto shore to get to a better vantage point while Sam steered the boat around to the other side. Corvo had climbed onto the roof, then through the rafters, and had shot incriminating photos of a drug deal. Sam had been rather impressed. 

"Dunwall's a dangerous city for policemen. In my ten years of duty, I was shot twice and stabbed once, not counting all the times somebody tried. Now, I'm a single dad, so I'm looking for something a little less likely to kill me."

"You just climbed an icy roof to take pictures of a drug deal. That's not really less likely to kill you."

Corvo laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I got carried away. Old habits die hard, and I _did_ enjoy my work before I became a stay at home dad." 

Sam nodded, his hand never leaving the rudder of his skiff.

"I know what you mean. Decades in the Navy left their marks on me. I'll just have to make sure to give you the cases of cheating spouses, then. They're mostly non violent. As for the rest: As long as they don't see you, they can't shoot you." 

"Wh- so I have the job?"

"You saw how it went today. I need the help and you're a capable guy. I'd be an idiot not to hire you," Sam laughed, and then louder when Corvo pressed him against his chest in a bone crushing hug. 

A little later, Sam dropped off a very greatful Corvo at the Tower promenade, from where it was easy to make his way home. When Corvo entered his little apartment, he was a tad overwhelmed by all the people in it. His kitchen was packed with three teenagers, two sick children and one babysitter. Shouts of joy went through the room at his good news, and both Emily and Callista gave him a hug. Serkonan music played on the stereo, and everybody was gathered around Galia and Rinaldo, who were throwing chopped up vegetables into a giant pot. Corvo was informed that they were cooking a recipe their mother had made for them whenever they were sick as kids. Rinaldo's eyes got big and wet when he explained, and Galia went about stirring their soup with single minded concentration. Billie's evil glare made it clear that further inquiries were unwanted. The soup was very good. It tasted a little like Paloma Attano's special brew for upset stomachs and aches of every kind. Like fresh vegetables, Serkonan spices and a mother's love.  
When Delilah and Daud trailed in, both looking tired and unhappy, they were served without question. When asked about their day at court, they replied, "We settled," in a tone that invited no further questions. 

After being congratulated to his new job by Delilah and even Daud, Corvo observed the mayhem in his kitchen. His daughter in pyjamas was telling an attentively listening Galia a story about their year in Karnaca, Rinaldo was building higher and higher towers of their empty soup bowls, observed but not discouraged by Delilah, Billie asked Callista questions about the college experience, and Daud comforted Thomas, who felt bad about giving him his stomach bug. It felt nice in a way Corvo hadn't had in a long time. Like a family dinner, which had been overshadowed by Jess' absence in the last one and a half years. Warm and loud and content. He liked it. 

When it was getting late for the two youngest, Daud got up and said, "Alright, let's get this cleaned up."

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine," Corvo spoke up, but Daud shook his head. 

"My kids dirtied your kitchen, we're going to clean it again."

"No, you need to be in bed," Delilah commanded. "Take your brats and go home." It spoke of how shitty Daud was feeling that he only gave her a trite look before he said, "Fine. Kids, time to get out of Attano's hair." He bent down to pick a sleepy Thomas up and carried him off with mumbled good night wishes, followed by a caravan of teenagers. Callista put a mildly protesting Emily to bed before going home for the night, richer by a hundred coins and quite happy about it. She had given Daud her contact info, for future emergencies. Corvo was washing the dishes, Delilah dried them. 

"So, how'd you like Sam?"

"He's great, though from all the things he already knew about me I got the feeling I'm you guys' charity case."

"Oh please, stop the false modesty, it's not a good look on you. You're perfect for the job, and Sam needed the help. It was just lucky that we got to talking the last time he worked for me." 

She had done so much for him already, he didn’t know if he could ever repay her. For now, though, he settled on a heartfelt, "Thanks, Lilah."

"Call me that again and I'll kick you out of the apartment." 

For a while they worked in companionable silence. Corvo hummed to the tune of the Serkonan radio station, until Delilah gave him a sideways glance. 

"Soooo…” The grin on her face was positively evil. “Daud told me how you two met today."

"Oh god." Corvo cringed. It _had_ been a dick move. 

"Good going, Attano."

"Does he hate me a lot?"

She snorted, reaching for the next soapy bowl. 

"No. Daud's a sucker for sad people, otherwise he wouldn't have adopted four of them."

"Adopted, huh. All of them?" From what the kids had said, it sure sounded like it. He couldn’t help but be impressed. One kid was a lot of work, and sometimes brought him to his limits. Four had to be a real nightmare from a managerial perspective. 

"Yeah. He already had Billie when we met,” Delilah elaborated. “The twins came into the picture six years ago, and Thomas three. He may look like he murders kittens for fun, but he has a soft spot for bright eyes and tragic backstories. Actually, you're right up his alley." 

“Very funny.” 

“Hey, are you still into the feisty ones?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Corvo scolded. He was too focused on scrubbing the bottom of the giant cooking pot that wasn’t his to see Delilah’s calculating look. After they were done and she left for her own apartment, Corvo looked in on Emily. She was slumbering soundly. The accident had not only taken Jess from them, but also peace of mind. Many nights, Emily still woke from nightmares, so seeing her this calm and content made Corvo’s heart ache in the best way possible. He stepped back into the hallway, leaving the door open a crack so a little light could fall into Emily’s room, and went into his own bedroom. There, he started to unbutton his shirt, but halted midway. It was a very nice shirt, indeed, the fine fabric smooth under his fingers. The dark shade of grey suited Daud’s eyes, he supposed, but it didn’t look half bad on Corvo himself, either. If it wasn’t for the space at the shoulders. _I have to get more into shape,_ Corvo thought, and _I have to wash this tomorrow and give it back_. Hopefully it would be a less eventful wash cycle this time around.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments make the heart grow fonder <3


End file.
